14 Stories of How Celebrities Met the Queen (Almost All of Them Broke Etiquette Rules)

Elizabeth II is the most recognizable and long-reigning monarch in the world. She has sat at the English throne for 65 years, and even at the age of 93, she still has a big influence on the life of her empire, following the traditions and the etiquette of the monarchy. And she also drives a Range Rover, she can drink a glass of strong alcohol, and she loves jokes, her grandchildren, and equestrian sports. She visits more than 400 events every year where she meets celebrities. It is a rare privilege to be introduced to The Queen.

We at Bright Side are convinced that meeting Elizabeth II causes even the richest people to become nervous. And some of them even forget about proper etiquette.

Yuri Gagarin

“Well, the Queen, so be it,” Gagarin said and accepted Queen Elizabeth’s II invitation to have breakfast at the Buckingham Palace. She violated the protocol when she put Yuri right next to her at the table. This is how the legend of Gagarin touching the Queen’s leg to make sure everything was really happening came to be.

The table was served according to all the rules. And after some hesitation, the cosmonaut admitted that he didn’t know which utensil he was supposed to start with. The Queen had the answer, “I don’t know anything about them myself! Let’s just eat the way we like!” When they were drinking tea, Gagarin shocked everyone when he ate a piece of lemon from the cup. The Queen followed him and everyone did the same after her.

Her Majesty violated the etiquette rules again at the end of their meeting — she took a photo with the famous cosmonaut.

“I took a photo with a man from space, not from our planet. So I didn’t break any rules.”